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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · file · pound · pitch · craft · spell · kick · chest

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chest — of your body
  4. craft — a skill
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pound — a weight
  7. club — for golf
  8. spell — letters
  9. kick — in football
  10. file — a document
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. spell — magic
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. club — a group
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. file — a tool
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chest — of your body
  22. craft — boats
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com